VOA慢速英语2016--The Power of Parallelism

The Power of Parallelism

Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical forms. It is a powerful tool in public speaking and writing.

You may have heard this quote attributed to Julius Caesar:

I came, I saw, I conquered.

The repetition of I followed by a verb makes this an example of parallel structure. Parallelism helps make an idea or argument clear and easy to remember. It also shows that each repeated structure is of equal importance. And, it is a powerful tool for public speaking.

Throughout history, many famous leaders have used parallel structure to communicate with the public. Here is a famous saying by Abraham Lincoln:

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Lincoln repeats people and time in all three clauses. But he changes the order of the words some and all. The 28-word quotation¹ is easy to memorize because of its rhythm and parallel structure.

Antithesis²

One common type of parallelism is called antithesis. Antithesis simply means the “opposite” of something. Let’s take a look at the first two lines of the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .

Notice how Dickens uses pairs of opposite words: best and worst; wisdom and foolishness. Writers and poets have long used antithesis to show the paradoxical – or opposing – nature of life.

English poet John Milton contrasted heaven and hell in this passage from Paradise Lost:

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

“I Have a Dream”

Some of the most famous speeches in history also have examples of parallelism.

Martin Luther King fought for racial equality in the United States in the 1950s and 60s. In 1963, he gave an unforgettable speech on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. King and his supporters were pushing the U.S. Congress to pass a civil rights law. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, King uses several forms of parallel structure to communicate an uplifting message. Listen for repetitions and opposites.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood³. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of injustice⁴, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis⁵ of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

In the speech, King made many contrasts. King contrasts the sons of slaves and the sons of slave owners. Those were the people who made up most of his audience that day. He also contrasts heat with oasis, and injustice and oppression with freedom and justice.

The speech led major to changes in U.S. laws. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act the following year, which outlawed⁶ racial discrimination.

Parallelism in Academic Writing

Parallel structure is a useful tool for student writers. College professors expect a student paper to have a thesis statement. A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of a paper’s main argument. A first-year student might write something like this:

Proposal X is not good.

A better thesis, using parallel structure, might look like this:

Voters should reject Proposal X because it is unfair to minorities, impossible to enforce, and unnecessary.

In this parallel thesis statement, the writer has set up a series of three adjectives: unfair, impossible, and unnecessary. These three adjectives can organize the structure of the entire paper — with one section for each adjective. A strong parallel thesis statement makes it easier for students to organize their thoughts and write their papers.

Problems with Parallelism

English learners and native speakers alike have difficulty with parallelism. Some writers mix different grammatical structures. For example,

I like running, biking and to swim.

The gerunds running and biking are mixed with the infinitive⁷ to swim. The mix breaks the rhythm of parallel structure. This is known as false parallelism. A better choice, then, is to use three gerunds in a series.

I like running, swimming and biking.

Another option is to use three infinitives⁸ in a series.

I like to run, to swim and to bike.

Let’s look at an example of a more complex sentence.

My supervisor⁹ asked me to write my report quickly, in way that is accurate and he also wants plenty of details.

To improve this sentence, try to use a series of adverbs ending in –ly. Do not be too attached to the original words. Here is an improved version of the sentence:

My supervisor asked me to write my report quickly, accurately¹⁰, and thoroughly¹¹.

The original “with plenty of details” was changed to “thoroughly” with no change in meaning. The change creates a smooth series of three adverbs ending in –ly.

Keep in mind that most people do not use long parallel structures in casual conversation. It would sound a bit unnatural¹² and overly formal. But in writing and speeches it is hard to go wrong with parallel structure. It is the best way to make your writing more concise¹³, clear, and memorable¹⁴.

["Turn, Turn, Turn" by The Byrds]

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend¹⁵, a time to sew

A time for love, a time for hate

A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Words in This Story

parallelism – n. the use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc.

attribute – v. to say that (something) is because of (someone or something)

clause – n. a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

antithesis – n. the state of two things that are directly opposite to each other

contrast – n. to compare (two people or things) to show how they are different

paradoxical – adj. a statement that seems to say two opposite things but that may be true

sweltering – adj. very hot

oasis – n. an area in a desert where there is water and plants

thesis statement – n. a statement that someone wants to discuss or prove

false parallelism – n. the incorrect use of successive verbal constructions

concise – adj. using few words : not including extra or unnecessary information

gerund – n. an English noun formed from a verb by adding -ing

infinitive – n. the basic form of a verb preceded by to

1 quotation   

n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情

参考例句：

• He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
• The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

2 antithesis   

n.对立；相对

参考例句：

• The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。
• His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。

3 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

4 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

5 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

6 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

7 infinitive   

n.不定词；adj.不定词的

参考例句：

• The use of the split infinitive is now generally acceptable.分裂不定式的用法现在已被广泛接受。
• Modal verbs generally take the bare infinitive.情态动词通常用不带to的不定式。

8 infinitives   

n.（动词）不定式( infinitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her litmus test for good breeding is whether you split infinitives. 她测试别人是否具有良好教养的标准是看对方是否在不定式的动词前加修饰副词。 来自互联网
• Nouns, adjectives and infinitives can be used as objective complements. 名词，形容词及不定式可用作补语。 来自互联网

9 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

10 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

11 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

12 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

13 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

14 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

15 rend   

vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取

参考例句：

• Her scrams would rend the heart of any man.她的喊叫声会撕碎任何人的心。
• Will they rend the child from his mother?他们会不会把这个孩子从他的母亲身边夺走呢？